microenvironment

[ mahy-kroh-en-vahy-ern-muh nt, -vahy-ruh n- ]

/ ˌmaɪ kroʊ ɛnˈvaɪ ərn mənt, -ˈvaɪ rən- /

noun

the environment of a small area or of a particular organism; microhabitat.

Nearby words

microelectrode, microelectronics, microelectrophoresis, microencapsulation, microencephaly, microenvironment, microerythrocyte, microevolution, microfarad, microfauna, microfiber

Origin of microenvironment

First recorded in 1950–55; micro- + environment

Related forms

mi·cro·en·vi·ron·men·tal

[mahy-kroh-en-vahy-ern-men-tl, -vahy-ruh n-] /ˌmaɪ kroʊ ɛnˌvaɪ ərnˈmɛn tl, -ˌvaɪ rən-/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for microenvironment

microenvironment

/ (ˈmaɪkrəʊɪnˌvaɪrənmənt) /

noun

ecology the environment of a small area, such as that around a leaf or plant

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Science definitions for microenvironment

microenvironment

[ mī′krō-ĕn-vī′rən-mənt ]

The environment of a very small, specific area, distinguished from its immediate surroundings by such factors as the amount of incident light, the degree of moisture, and the range of temperatures. The side of a tree that is shaded from sunlight is a microenvironment that typically supports a somewhat different community of organisms than is found on the side that receives regular light. Also called microhabitat